Someone Good, Someplace Great
by FraiseDandelion
Summary: Inspired by episode 5x14. Robin and Regina both go on the lookout of their first lovers' headstones, needing to know if they're in fact in a better place.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Someone Good, Someplace Great

Rated: K+

Disclaimer: I don't own a thing.

A/N: Inspired by last night's episode! [ **Spoilers**!] Don't get me wrong, I absolutely loved the SnowQueen scene, it felt fitting and it made sense for her to be the one to go with her (would've loved more words to be exchanged between them but c'est la vie). But I had this idea in my head ever since I realized Regina was looking for Daniel's stone. This is a **two** parter. Part one is _OutlawMaiden_ and _OutlawQueen_ equally I guess. Enjoy! Un-betaed so sorry for the mistakes!

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 _"Something about first love defies duplication. Before it, your heart is blank. Unwritten. After, the walls are left inscribed and graffitied. When it ends, no amount of scrubbing will purge the scrawled oaths and sketched images, but sooner or later, you find that there's space for someone else, between the words and in the margins."_  
—Tammara Webber

.:.

They'd talked about it while searching Snow White's Underbrooke's apartment. Both of them genuinely concerned for their first lover's whereabouts and their soul's resting place. So they parted ways, intent on finding something, anything that will give them a clue.

And Regina found something, which is why they're here right now, amidst the never ending anxiety that's building inside of them by the minute.

"Follow me," Regina whispers, offering him a small smile before turning and walking in front of him, hand closed tightly around his as she gently pulls him with her.

Each step she takes is deliberate, each step strong, unnerved as he follows her around this never ending cemetery.

He sees different names, different shapes of stones and for a moment he wonders how _hers_ will be like. Will it be simple like she was in life? Will it carry her name amongst a design carved from the beauty of her soul? Robin does not know, but he's intent —even through the fear and hurt he feels every time he hears _her_ name— he's intent to find out just _where_ that beautiful soul rests.

Cruella had said to look out for the position of the stones, the only thing important being the fact that if it's tipped it means the person is in a far better place.

And he knows, has no doubt that the beauty of Marian's soul granted her a space up in heaven, away from misery, away from pain. But still, he wants to know for sure, wants to be able to smile and answer in truth whenever Roland asks him of her.

So he follows her, he follows Regina to the path down to knowledge, down to certainty, a certainty that him and her, thanks to her sister's act, desperately need.

For what feels like hours they walk, passing by hundreds of stones before she comes to a stop in front of him, and after a few moments turns to look at him.

"We found it," Regina murmurs, a small smile on her face as she bites her lower lip, a small tear escaping her eye.

And that's answer enough for him. The relief in Regina's eyes and stance enough for him to confirm of _her_ soul's fate.

Robin simply swallows and nods.

"I'll give you a few minutes," Regina smiles brightly again, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as she moves to the side, no longer blocking his view of the stone before she walks down the path they came from.

His gaze follow Regina for a minute, until she's a few yards away from him and he turns to _her_ stone.

He stays rooted on his place for what feels like hours, eyes glassy with emotion at the immaculate inscription of her name.

 _Marian of Locksley_

The tipped over stone the confirmation of _her_ soul's resting place.

Robin simply chuckles, offers a silent prayer in thanks before he walks closer to the stone and kneels in front of it, hands reaching forward as his fingers absentmindedly trace her name.

"I…" He swallows hard and takes a deep breath, suddenly at loss for words.

"Frankly, I don't know what to say," he chuckles and sniffles before he swallows hard. "But I guess I must start by saying how utterly grateful I am of knowing this," a tear falls from his eyes and he laughs at himself again, a mixture of pain and happiness filling him to the brim. "I'm so happy, Marian, so happy that you're somewhere wonderful."

And he truly is. He's happy, extremely happy and relieved that dear Marian is at a better place. That every time Roland asks of his mother, he can in fact confirm that she's somewhere beautiful, looking down at them from paradise.

"Our son is wonderful, the most kindest soul I've ever met which can only be said came from your side of the family. But I can't complain, not when he gives the best snuggles and big bear hugs, Oh Marian, if you could only see him, if you could only be with him one minute, God he'll melt your heart. You'll instantly fall in love, like Regina says," Robin chuckles, a small smile playing upon his face as he looks to the side, to the direction Regina headed off before he looks down at the stone again.

"Do you remember that time you were sick when Roland was a babe?" Robin swallows for the umpteenth time, suddenly feeling nervous at the topic. "You said… You said that if you ever were to part from our sides, that I should move on, that I should find someone who loves me, but most importantly, someone who loves Roland as their own," he chuckles once again, and lets out a content sigh before he glances to the right, catching Regina's back yards away from him.

"Marian, I found her. But I must say, the love story between her and our son, is quite more interesting than the story between her and me," he laughs then, relief flooding him before he touches the stone again.

He stays that way for minutes, reminiscing on afternoons spent between his family and finds himself missing his son immensely. His bubbly self, that small snort he does whenever he laughs, and the determination and independence his little 5 year old self carries.

"I love you, Marian. You gave me the best thing someone could ever hope for. You gave me my son. You gave me my reason to live after your death, my reason to smile, my reason to move on and truly be happy with who I am today. For that, Marian, and for so many other things, I will be eternally grateful."

For a few moments Robin stays like that, hand on stone, sight focused on her name before he stands up and smiles one last time at it.

..::..

Robin finds her by a nearby tree, gaze set directly to the sky, back to him giving him the privacy he needs.

"Regina," he calls out softly, the sudden need to be near her overpowering him as he steps closer to her and offers her a small smile.

Regina turns around and smiles at him, gaze anxious, hands crossed over her chest as she tries to give him space.

"Are you okay?" She asks, concern written all over her face as she steps closer to him.

Robin simply smiles again, the love he has for this woman growing by the minute with the concern and understanding only _she_ possesses.

"I'm as well as can be expected," he shrugs, looks to the side before he meets her gaze again. "It's just, her image has been trampled and played with and… It's so unfair to her. She made me who I am today," Robin confesses, voice cracking and Regina breaks the distance between them, embracing him as she mentally curses her sister.

They remain that way for minutes, embracing each other, reassuring one another with unspoken words before he steps back, and looks down at her.

Robin offers her a small smile and a squeeze of her hand.

"Follow me," he whispers much like she did nearly two hours ago, and with her hand clutched tightly in his grasp, he starts the long trek towards her first lover's resting place.


	2. Chapter 2

She's not nervous, nor is she anxious, the only thing that goes through her veins right that moment is _fear_.

Fear of the unknown.

And at the same time, fear of _knowing_.

Because once you know the truth, there is no turning back, no imagining how things are.

Instead you're filled by knowledge and either relief, or utter devastation.

It had happened when she first got here, devastation filling her to the brim the moment she found out her dad was _here_ , the little girl in her always hoping, wishing that he'd be in a better place.

 _But he is now,_ she reminds herself. He is someplace better, had managed to resolve his unfinish business and found utter peace. But still, that doesn't ease the fear of knowing that her first lover, her beautiful Daniel, might not have been as lucky as her father was.

This time she's following _him_. Her soulmate, her lover. Following him around this never ending cemetery as he looks down at this map Cruella had given them.

And just like she did to him, he stops in front of a headstone and Regina's gaze flickers from his back towards the oddly colored sky, absolutely terrified of the fate of her first lover.

"Regina," Robin lets out softly when he turns around to look at her.

"I don't want to look," Regina whispers brokenly, eyes filling up with tears knowing that it is now or never. A sob breaks through her, and she bites her lower lip trying to calm herself down.

"Hey," Robin whispers, moving closer to her and squeezing her hand in reassurance, much like she did an hour before. "Regina, it's okay to look," he finishes with a bright smile and Regina meets his gaze and nods.

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before looking behind Robin to the unmistakably tipped stone with her first lover's name.

 _Daniel Colter_

And Regina simply chuckles in relief, a small tear falling from her eye as she nods at Robin and walks closer to the stone. She feels Robin squeezing her hand in silent reassurance before he releases it and quietly walks back a few yards to give her the space she obviously needs.

Regina doesn't know how long she stays there, staring intently at the name, mind wafting back to young unadulterated love and stolen kisses during riding lessons.

"Daniel," she whispers, a small tear falling down her eye as she crouches down and touches the surface of his headstone.

She remembers a time when just seeing his name on a headstone would've made her desire to bring misery and pain to those who wronged her, and even those who didn't; just make someone suffer the same way she was doomed to.

But those days are behind her now. Instead, as she looks at his simple tipped stone, Regina cannot help but let out a relieved laugh.

"I'm so happy you're in a better place, Daniel." Regina says, tears still coming down in currents from the immense relief she feels.

"I'm also sorry I missed my chance to see you," she sighs, shakes her head and manages a small smile. "Daniel, I just want you to know that I'm good," she chuckles, her thoughts going to Henry and her new family. "I'm the happiest I've been in a long while." Regina smiles again, her hands coming up to brush her tears away as she sighs and slouches a little.

"It's absolutely crazy how life worked out for me, Daniel. One day I was alone in the world, and then the next I have Henry, Robin, Roland and even little Rose cooking dinner with me. Can you believe that? Regina Mills cooking dinner! Regina Mills baking edible pies, not like the ones I made you back then with too much salt and little sugar in them," she laughs freely at the memory, remembering how Daniel had tried to reassure her that they were fine. "Now I'm suddenly friends with Snow and everybody in town and it's absolutely insane... nothing prepared me for this," she lets out a breath, completely bewildered by how far she's come.

"But I guess, part of that, part of who I am today is thanks to _that_ stable boy. The one who showed me what love was like. The one who pushed me to move on, urged me to _love again._ Daniel, sweet Daniel, if it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't be where I am today." She looks to her right, sees Robin eyeing the map he holds and the beat in her heart grows in frequency, small smile adorning her face and reddened cheeks as she looks back at the headstone. "I do love again, Daniel." Regina laughs as another set of tears fall down her face, her throat getting constricted by the emotion she's feeling.

Somehow admitting her love for Robin at such an emotive moment becomes too much for her, a new sense of relief filling her to the brim. She had felt it, the strong fire roaring inside her with every day passed by Robin's side, the utter sense of completeness and happiness she felt every time he offered a smile her way or a simple touch; she felt it.

And she feels it now again, with the knowledge that they've done _this_ together for one another.

Regina takes a shaky breath, her lips going on a thin line before she whispers, "You were my first love, Daniel, and you'll always be in my heart."

Then, with a small smile Regina stands up.

"I love you Daniel."

..::..

He feels her before he sees her, and he immediately turns around.

"Hey, you alright?" Robin whispers, concern written in every movement as he walks closer to her, grabs both hands with his and softly caresses her inner wrist with his thumb.

"I'm fine," Regina replies with a small smile, brown orbs meeting blue ones before she leans in and wraps her arms around his middle and his do the same.

Robin doesn't know how long they stay that way, her cheek pressed to his chest, him caressing her back as he rocks them a little, offering her the reassurance and strength she needs.

"Thank you," Regina mutters against his chest, and Robin simply shakes his head and drops a kiss to the top of her head.

"This is something we both needed, you don't need to thank me for anything."

But Regina chuckles against his chest before she pulls back, her right hand slowly moving upwards until they land on his cheek and she caresses the stubble there.

"No Robin, you don't get it," she looks at him now, instead of her hands movements. "Thank you for believing in me, for believing in _us_ even after everything we've been through."

And Robin just shakes his head not believing one bit in her words, mind going back to the pain he still believes _he_ put _her_ through, a pain and guilt that's still present in him no matter how many times Regina tries to reassure him that he's _not at fault_.

"Hey," she calls out softly, eyes searching for his again as his begin to cloud over with memories. She caresses his cheek, eyes unblinking as she begs with them for him to return to her, away from awful memories. "Robin," she murmurs, forehead touching his as blue eyes meet brown orbs for the umpteenth time that day. "I love you."

Robin stays still in place, eyes unbelieving, caresses on her back faltering as he just stares at her.

"Didn't you hear me?" Regina whispers on a laugh, eyes welling up with tears at the unbelievable look Robin gives her. "I love you Robin of Locksley," she smirks, her arms wrapping around his neck as she pulls him closer.

A beat passes, then Robin's lips turn upward, dimples appearing slowly before his goofy grin is on full display.

Robin whispers those three words in return, relief flooding him as this time he's able to express himself fully, no impending doom or separation between them.

And as they make their way down the cemetery, hand in hand, soft smiles on their faces, they send a prayer to their first lovers, grateful that _they've_ both ended up someplace great, and reassuring them that _so have they_.

- _Fin_ -

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Hope you guys liked it! And I also hope you all spent a lovely Easter!


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